Parklu recently released a report documenting trends in destinations discussed by China’s influencers and KOLs. While destinations mention fit closely with China top travel destinations, there are a few surprises, especially the differences in places mentioned between Weibo, WeChat, Little Red Book and Douyin.

Paris tops the list in most cases, but every now and then Los Angeles and Tokyo make it to the top. Other destinations such as Iceland rank higher for WeChat but very low for Douyin. Some small hints of Chinese digital behavior hide in between the lines, just waiting to be teased into the open.

China KOLs Most Discussed Destinations

Paris, Tokyo, and LA top the list with Paris as the big winner. It is no surprise that Paris has been a top travel destination for Chinese tourists for many years.

Tokyo is the Most Discussed Destination on Weibo

Tokyo, Paris, Bangkok and Seoul top the list of destinations discussed on Weibo by top KOLs. Tokyo, Bangkok, and Seoul are pretty close to China, so it isn’t a big mystery why these may be mentioned more by China’s influencers.

Paris is the Most Discussed Destination on WeChat

Paris, Switzerland, Iceland, and Singapore top the list for WeChat. Putting aside the popularity of Paris, it’s interesting to see how WeChat emphasizes Iceland. Iceland is one of those more “trendy” places to go, being it’s far, difficult to get to and bestows a bit of uniqueness to those who manage to travel there. This data may suggest that richer travelers who are looking to go to places different than others tend to discuss these places on WeChat.

Paris is the Most Discussed Destination on Little Red Book

Paris, Tokyo, London and Los Angeles are the top destinations for Little Red Book. It makes sense as Little Red Book is focused on fashion, and these are cities where fashion is important. New York scores pretty low here, perhaps that suggests that Little Red Book KOLs see New York as less essential than cities like Bangkok and Bali to their followers?

Los Angeles is the Most Discussed Destination on Douyin

LA, Paris, Turkey, and Seoul top the list for most discussed destinations on Douyin. As Douyin is an app about making short music videos, this data suggests that London is better for dance videos than Bangkok? Well, perhaps the dance videos made in Bangkok aren’t allowed on Douyin.. wink wink. Its great to see sunny LA at the top of the list just barely beating Paris. LA is the birthplace of Hip Hop, and the perpetual sun of SoCal is a great place to shoot a short music video. In contrast, Iceland doesn’t seem like it’d be a great place to get one’s “groove” on… go figure.

The latest report from Millward Brown and WPP: Brand Z Top 100 Most Valuable Chinese Brands show us how Chinese brands are becoming more powerful around the world. This is largely due to Millennials who have shorter memories than older age groups; these younger consumers have only ever seen China as a growing economic superpower during their adult lifetimes.

As Chinese brands continue to broaden their audiences and break new ground in technology and innovation, what we’re seeing here could really just be the beginning of a century dominated by China’s continued growth and prosperity, and the world’s growing awareness and begrudging respect for a country that is turning “Made in China” into a label representing innovation and quality, a far cry from what the term represented in the 2000s.

Chinese Brand Personality

Due to China’s tremendous growth in the digital and mobile industries, more and more people have begun to perceive Chinese brands as being innovative.

Chinese Brands Perceived as Innovative by Younger Consumers

Positive perception of Chinese brands tends to come from younger consumers. This is likely due to younger consumers growing up during a time of unprecedented growth in China’s economy and position on the world stage.

Brand China Influence by Age

China’s recent economic growth and increasingly leading position on the world stage has changed the perception of younger consumers of Chinese brands.

Brand China Influence by Country

Chinese brands are most popular in France, Germany, and England. The perception of Chinese brands is generally based on how recent the recipient’s knowledge of China is. The more recent, the higher the score. “Old Knowledge” such as China’s past scandals, or its past reputation for poor quality products lead to a more negative impression of Chinese brands.

Digital Media Drives Chinese Brand Awareness

Digital media is the most important brand-building channel for Chinese brands. This is likely due to the penetration and ubiquity of mobile smartphones in China, allowing the shortest path to connecting with China’s modern consumers.